Accident and Incident Analysis is the most serious forum on Rockclimbing.com. It has to be - it deals with the very difficult and painful subject of injury and death while climbing. The people mentioned in the threads here may not be known to you, they may not be known to anyone here on rockclimbing.com - but without a doubt they are, or were, known, liked and loved by somebody. In here, we discuss, first and foremost, events that happened to people - and we will maintain a respectful tone.

Now, "respectful" doesn't mean you're not allowed to say that an action leading up to an accident was a mistake, or even stupid. It simply means that you will treat this as the serious subject it is.

So, here are the rules:

1. Keep it about the accident, and leave your ego at the door.

Threads in this forum are not about you. They're not about me. They're not about the OP. They're not about making yourself look strong, or smart, or better than anyone else. They're about one thing, and one thing only: accidents. Discussing them, determining as best we can what went wrong, and doing our best to learn from them so that we don't make the same mistakes.

Flames, trolls, and any other posts that do not directly relate to discussion of the incident will be removed. If you are attacked personally by another user, please do not respond in this forum. If you feel you really must defend your honour, do it via PM or start a thread in the Campground. It does not belong here.

2. Make your posts factual, and as detailed as possible.

If you are the OP of a thread in this forum, then you are taking on a big responsibility. It is your job to provide as much information as you can about the incident in question. If you were an eyewitness, or at the same crag that day, then post what you can - even if it's simply a request for more information, that's fine. In the latter case, once more detail comes in it would be appreciated if you could amend your OP (and especially the title) to cover the key details.

If you are posting a link to a news article, then the rules are more strict. You need to give a brief summary of the details in the article - name(s), place, date and nature of accident as a bare minimum. OP's that are simply a link to an article without these details will be recycled on sight, and the user PM'd to try again.

If you are replying to a thread, the above rule does not mean you can't speculate. However, speculation must be clearly labelled as such, and based upon known facts from the case.

3. Respect the mods' decisions.

In this forum, at least, what the mods say goes. If a post of yours is removed, do not put up a new post asking why, or complaining. That will simply be removed too. Take it up in PM, or in Suggestions and Feedback. Once again, threads in here are about accidents, and accidents only.